The dilemma of the "If Onlys" in life!

I do realize we cannot change anything in the past but when things in the present don't go as expected I think we all try to hold on to dreams of what might have been. The 'If Only' dilemma! I don't know about you but I have had far too many 'If Onlys', some of which still haunt me to this day.
They are not all that occupies my mind but they do keep popping into my head every now and then. And on some days they become gigantic regrets that overwhelm me and leave a sadness in my heart.

As I grow older those 'If Only' moments are becoming fewer and are less often accompanied by that brief painful pang. So I ask myself, does that mean that I have gotten wiser? or does it mean that I am starting to lose hope of  anything being different more like I imagined?

If I ask my dear mom that she'd probably declare this was wisdom so would my older sisters and tell me to lay it to rest. Yet somehow I feel it is important to hold on to some of those 'If Onlys'. It those unfulfilled ideas and hopes that often force us to take significant steps towards growth and positive change in our lives. It is those regrets that keep reminding us of our potential and our aspirations, they awaken the desire to reach for more then what we have resigned ourselves to in life. I understand that circumstances and responsibilities as a parent can restrict and limit the actions one can take but it is that deep seated pain of loss that drives us to try to regain some of the optimistic and idealistic magic which is often the secret behind great achievements in life.

In my case, even writing this blog is a part of my efforts to achieve a little more each day. And I am hoping it will drive me to do for my personal and spiritual growth.

When God created Mothers....

As I was going through mementos stashed in one of my dresser's drawers, came across this note. I got it from my youngest when he was a  preschooler with his mother's day gift, thought I'd share it with other moms!

When the good Lord was creating mothers, He was in to his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said,"Have you read the specs on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic... have 180 movable parts-all replaceable....run on black coffee and leftovers...have a lap that disappears when she stands up...a kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair...and six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said,"Six pairs of hands? No way." "It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord. "It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded."One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks,"What are you kids doing in there?" when she already knows.Another in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know. And of course, the ones in the front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say "I understand and I love you" without so much as uttering a word.
"Lord," said the angel touching his sleeve gently,"go to bed tomorrow is another......"
"I can't," said the Lord. " I'm so close now. Already I have one that heals herself when she is sick, can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger, and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower."
The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft,"she sighed.
" But tough!" said the Lord excitedly. " You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure."
" Can it think?"
'Not only think, but it can reason and compromise" said the Creator. Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across her cheek.
" There's a leak," she pronounced.
" It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."
"What's that for?"
" It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride."
"You are a Genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber," I didn't put it there."